Addressing Recent Misinformation About Autism

Apr. 18, 2025

Background

On Wednesday, April 16, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared autism a "rapidly growing epidemic" in the United States, referencing CDC data showing an increase in prevalence from 1 in 36 children in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022. Secretary Kennedy expressed his intent to identify what he termed an "environmental toxin" as the cause, stating that HHS will announce new studies within two to three weeks and expects preliminary answers by September 2025. During his press conference, Secretary Kennedy downplayed the role of broadened and improved screening and diagnostic practices and increased awareness among parents and clinicians in the increased prevalence rates and characterized autism—a factor largely supported by autism researchers as the actual cause of rising rates. The Secretary also made broad and unsupported comments that perpetuate harmful stigma and stereotypes about autistic people, including claims that they will "never pay taxes," "never hold a job," or "never go out on a date."


While no formal policy has been announced, the Secretary's statements signal a significant shift in how HHS may approach autism research and support services. The rapid timeline proposed for identifying environmental causes raises serious methodological concerns among researchers, as comprehensive studies typically require years of careful design and implementation to produce reliable results.

APA/APASI Assessment

APA expresses significant concern about the framing of autism as an "epidemic" caused by environmental toxins. This perspective contradicts the scientific consensus that autism has complex, multifactorial origins involving genetic, biological, and environmental interactions. Leading researchers emphasize that autism represents a spectrum of neurodevelopmental differences rather than a single condition with a single cause.


Secretary Kennedy’s characterization of autistic individuals promotes harmful stereotypes that do not reflect the diverse experiences, capabilities, and contributions of people on the autism spectrum. Such rhetoric can stigmatize autistic people and their families while diverting attention and resources from evidence-based supports and services.


APA's assessment highlights several key areas of concern:


  • Research Priorities: Effective allocation of research funding is crucial. A focus on investigating a single, hypothesized environmental cause risks diverting resources from established and scientifically promising research areas. These include further exploration of the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, the development and evaluation of evidence-based interventions and supports, and research aimed at improving quality of life across the lifespan for autistic people.
  • Public Health Communications: Maintaining public trust relies on health communications that accurately reflect scientific consensus. Disseminating information inconsistent with well-established findings (such as the thoroughly refuted link between vaccines and autism, should such theories be invoked) can potentially undermine confidence in scientific institutions and evidence-based public health recommendations.
  • Evidence-Based Supports: Scientific understanding supports the need for robust, evidence-based services and supports tailored to the diverse needs of autistic individuals. Shifting the policy and research focus away from these supports towards unproven causal factors could negatively impact access to necessary resources provided through programs like those under the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and educational supports in schools.
  • Social Perception: Accurate, non-stereotypical public information about autism is essential for fostering understanding and acceptance. Mischaracterizations can negatively impact social attitudes and the integration of autistic individuals into communities.
  • Protections Against Discrimination: Discriminatory actions taken against people with all disabilities are often based on unscientific assumptions about the nature of a disability. Legal protections against such discrimination must be preserved to protect against these assumptions resulting in tangible harm to people with disabilities, including autistic people.

What Psychologists Can Do

As this situation develops, psychologists are encouraged to:



  • Maintain commitment to evidence-based practice: Continue to provide high-quality, scientifically grounded assessment, intervention, consultation, and support services tailored to the diverse, individual needs of autistic people and their families. This commitment is the foundation of ethical practice and serves as a vital counterbalance to potentially misleading or non-scientific public narratives.
  • Stay abreast of policy developments and professional guidance: Actively monitor official communications from HHS regarding potential changes to autism research priorities, funding mechanisms, and service delivery systems (like the Administration for Community Living). Regularly check for updates, resources, and guidance from APA/APASI (e.g., via the APA/APASI Response Center or other official channels) to stay informed on the professional response and available support.
  • Serve as a source of accurate, science-based information: Be prepared to clearly and accessibly communicate the current scientific understanding of autism – including its complex, multifactorial origins and the significant role of improved awareness and diagnostics in prevalence rates – to clients, families, trainees, colleagues, and the wider community. Proactively address misinformation with factual, evidence-based explanations.
  • Actively counter stigma and promote neurodiversity: Challenge harmful stereotypes and generalizations by promoting an accurate understanding of the wide diversity of abilities, experiences, and contributions within the autism community. Use and encourage respectful language and integrate principles of neurodiversity acceptance into clinical work and public communication.
  • Document real-world impacts of policy changes: Systematically observe and document any tangible effects of shifting rhetoric or policy changes on your clients and practice. This includes noting barriers to accessing services, changes in funding availability for research or clinical programs, shifts in client concerns or anxieties related to public discourse, and any observable impacts on treatment outcomes. Such documentation provides crucial data for APA/APASI’s advocacy.
  • Engage in informed professional advocacy: Connect and collaborate with APA/APASI, your state, provincial, or territorial psychological association, and other relevant professional and community organizations. Lend your expertise to advocacy efforts aimed at ensuring public policies related to autism are informed by robust scientific evidence, promote inclusion, adequately fund necessary research and services, and uphold the rights and dignity of autistic individuals.

Moving Forward

APA Services will continue to advocate for policies and research priorities that:


  • Champion neurodiversity: We will advocate for policies and public attitudes that embrace neurodiversity, recognizing autism as a part of human variation. Simultaneously, we will strongly advocate for the necessary, individualized, and evidence-based supports and accommodations autistic individuals may need across the spectrum and lifespan to enhance quality of life, ensure equitable opportunities, and facilitate full participation in society.
  • Promote a comprehensive, science-based research agenda: APA will support and call for research priorities that examine autism's complex, multifactorial origins. This includes appropriately investigating the interplay of genetic, biological, and environmental factors, rather than prematurely narrowing focus based on unsubstantiated hypotheses. We will advocate for research that is relevant to the needs identified by the autism community.
  • Prioritize accessible, effective services and supports: Our advocacy will focus on ensuring robust funding, workforce development, and equitable access to a continuum of evidence-based services and supports. This includes early assessment, educational supports, mental health services, transition support, and other resources for community living that are demonstrated to improve outcomes and quality of life for autistic individuals and their families.
  • Uphold rigorous standards for research and communication: APA will insist that autism research adheres to the highest standards of methodological rigor, ethical conduct, and transparency. Furthermore, we will advocate for the accurate and responsible communication of research findings to prevent misinterpretation or the spread of misinformation.
  • Actively counter misinformation and stigma: APA will commit to developing and disseminating accurate, science-based information about autism to policymakers, the media, and the public. We will actively work to counter harmful stereotypes, correct misinformation, and promote language and attitudes that foster respect and inclusion.
  • Foster collaboration with the autism community: We will continue to engage meaningfully and collaboratively with autistic self-advocates, family members, researchers, clinicians, educators, and allied organizations. Ensuring that the perspectives and priorities of the autism community inform our advocacy efforts is paramount.

What the Science Says

There is no single unifying picture of how a person with autism looks, behaves, or otherwise interacts with their surroundings. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), also known as autism, is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder, characterized by varying degrees of impairment in social communication and interaction, sensory anomalies, repetitive behaviors, and intellectual disability. The range of functional disability varies considerably. Quality of life of individuals with autism is influenced by several factors, including the severity of symptoms and time of language acquisition (Lord et al., 2020). 


The criteria for diagnosis of ASD have shifted over the years, broadening the definition of autism and changing the epidemiology of ASD. However, this change does not mean that there is an epidemic (e.g., Hansen et al., 2015). In reality, the change does not necessarily mean that more individuals have ASD now than in the past, it does mean that practitioners now have the ability to detect ASD in more individuals, including those that would not have been diagnosed in the past and therefore would not have been treated due in part to increased parental and clinician awareness.

 

In addition, the Autism Diagnostics Observation Schedule (currently, ADOS-2; Lord et al., 12) facilitates the detection of ASD from toddler years to adulthood (Esler et al., 2015; Hus & Lord, 2014). Research has indicated that ADOS-2 tends to underdiagnose girls with autism because their symptom profiles differ from the boys’ symptom profiles (Tien et la., 2025). 

 

The increase in individuals diagnosed with ASD is not unique to the United States. A study with Danish data indicated that reporting practices and changes in diagnostic criterial explained most of the increases in ASD diagnostics in children (Hansen et al., 2015).

 

Overall, the increasing diagnosis of autism can be explained by the adoption of better diagnostic tools, changes in definitions, changes in screening practices, new policies, and improved advocacy and education (see Grosvenor et al., 2024; WHO & UNICEF, 2018; Zwaigenbaum & Penner, 2018). A recent meta-analysis highlights that the diagnosis of autism still misses many cases, mostly female individuals (Cruz et al., 2025). This evidence indicates that as research on autism continues to evolve and accumulate and better assessment tools become available, it is likely that the diagnoses of autism will keep increasing.


The causes of ASD are not completely known, but evidence suggests that genetic factors play the largest role in its development, with heritability of 60–90% (Castelbaum et al., 2019; Tick et al., 2016). Pre-gestational and in utero environmental factors, such as air pollution, exposure to toxins and heavy metals, use of certain drugs, and parental age, diet, and health status have been pointed as possible risk factors for ASD. However, the possible contributions of these factors to the development of ASD have not been thoroughly studied and their connection with ASD is inconclusive (Pugsley et al., 2021).

References

Castelbaum, L., Sylvester, C. M., Zhang, Y., Yu, Q., & Constantino, J. N. (2019). On the nature of monozygotic twin concordance and discordance for autistic trait severity: A quantitative analysis. Behavior Genetics, 50(3), 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-019-09987-2 


Cruz, S., Zubizarreta, S. C.-P., Costa, A. D., Araújo, R., Martinho, J., Tubío-Fungueiriño, M., Sampaio, A., Cruz, R.,

Carracedo, A., & Fernández-Prieto, M. (2025). Is there a bias towards males in the diagnosis of autism? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychology Review, 35(2), 153–176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-023-09630-2


Esler, A. N., Bal, V. H., Guthrie, W., Wetherby, A., Ellis Weismer, S., & Lord, C. (2015). The autism diagnostic observation schedule, toddler module: standardized severity scores. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 2704–2720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2432-7


Grosvenor, L. P., Croen, L. A., Lynch, F. L., Marafino, B. J., Maye, M., Penfold, R. B., Simon, G. E., & Ames, J. L. (2024). Autism diagnosis among US children and adults, 2011-2022. JAMA Network Open, 7(10), e2442218. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.42218


Hansen, S. N., Schendel, D. E., & Parner, E. T. (2015). Explaining the increase in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders: the proportion attributable to changes in reporting practices. JAMA Pediatrics, 169(1), 56–62. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.1893


Hus, V., & Lord, C. (2014). The autism diagnostic observation schedule, module 4: revised algorithm and standardized severity scores. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 1996–2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2080-3


Lord, C., Brugha, T. S., Charman, T., Cusack, J., Dumas, G., Frazier, T., Jones, E. J. H., Jones, R. M., Pickles, A., State, M. W., Taylor, J. L., & Veenstra-VanderWeele, J. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 6(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0138-4


Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P. C., Risi, S., Gotham, K., & Bishop, S. L. (2012). Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2). Western Psychological Services. 


Pugsley, K., Scherer, S. W., Bellgrove, M. A., et al. (2022). Environmental exposures associated with elevated risk for autism spectrum disorder may augment the burden of deleterious de novo mutations among probands. Molecular Psychiatry, 27(3), 710–730. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01142-w 


Tick, B., Bolton, P., Happé, F., Rutter, M., & Rijsdijk, F. (2016). Heritability of autism spectrum disorders: A meta-analysis of twin studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57(5), 585–595. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12499 


Tien, I. S., Johnson, A. R., Kim, J., & Wood, J. J. (2025). Examining diagnostic trends and gender differences in the ADOS-II. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 55(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06191-4

WHO, & UNICEF. (2018). World Bank Group. Nurturing care for early childhood development: a framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential. WHO Press.


Zwaigenbaum, L., & Penner, M. (2018). Autism spectrum disorder: advances in diagnosis and evaluation. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 361, k1674. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k1674